Jamie Foxx is stepping into the ring once again to bring one of American boxing’s most heartbreaking and heroic chapters to the screen.
During its Wednesday upfront presentation, Netflix announced that the Oscar-winning actor will headline Fight for ’84, a powerful new sports drama directed by Andrés Baiz (Narcos, Griselda). The film tells the true story of the U.S. Olympic boxing team’s rise to glory following the devastating 1980 plane crash that claimed the lives of many of its members.
Foxx plays the coach brought in to rebuild the shattered team, eventually leading them to an unprecedented medal sweep at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles—the most successful Olympic performance in U.S. boxing history.
The screenplay is penned by Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton), John Gatins (Flight), and Andy Weiss (White Boy Rick). The project is produced by Eric Newman (Grand Electric), Bryan Unkeless (Night Owl), and Foxx alongside Michael W. Abbott for A Move Films. Executive producers include Henry Tillman, Datari Turner, and Weiss for A WeBros Entertainment Production.
Fight for ’84 marks another major collaboration between Foxx and Netflix, following his recent outings in the action-comedy Back in Action opposite Cameron Diaz and They Cloned Tyrone and Day Shift. He also appeared in Amazon’s legal drama The Burial and reprised his role as Electro in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
This isn’t Foxx’s first venture into boxing on screen—he memorably portrayed Drew Bundini Brown, Muhammad Ali’s longtime cornerman, in Michael Mann’s Ali opposite Will Smith. Now, Fight for ’84 allows the actor to channel the spirit and resilience that define the sport at its core.